Karolina Matusiak
Should society be wary of the Internet?
“The Internet is the first thing that humanity has built that humanity doesn’t understand, the largest experiment in anarchy that we have ever had.” The chairman of Google, Eric Schmidt, presents the internet as a consequence of experiment that is inherently associated with anarchy. This is a disorder where perpetration of injustice is a common occurrence. Although it may sound exaggerated, there is a kernel of truth in this description. Despite numerous advantages yielded by the Internet, it, alas, generates a risk of cyber crimes that members of society can fall pray to. Concerning that, one should be apprehensive of the Internet since it can be not only a useful tool for potential criminals, but also a system producing harmful effects.
According to Internet World Stats, 28.7% of the world’s population has access to the Internet, which means that approximately two billion people immerse themselves in browsing through websites where manipulation and undemanding content are prevailing. Due to the combination of diverse means of communication in New Media, there is no need for intellectual effort or more extensive knowledge. Thus, people easily find themselves in this overwhelming cyber world and accept almost everything they are served. They feel comfortable and delighted since the Internet enables them to indulge their whims. Taking it into consideration, repercussions of human intemperance and indulgence appear to be unavoidable. Neil Postman, for instance, juxtaposes two fatalistic visions: “Orwell feared we would become a captive culture. Huxley feared we would become a trivial culture, preoccupied with some equivalent of the feelies, the orgy porgy, and the centrifugal bumblepuppy”. (“Foreword from Amusing Ourselves to Death”)
